Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana to Face Trial in 2027
- Thabo Bester's legal team told the High Court in Bloemfontein they were not ready to proceed with the trial on 28 August
- Nandipha Magudumana's lawyers raised a separate concern linked to her pending Constitutional Court challenge over her deportation
- Bester and Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania in April 2023 and extradited to South Africa after his staged prison escape
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BLOEMFONTEIN — The trial of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, his partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana, and seven co-accused has been scheduled to begin in April 2027, following a court appearance at the High Court in Bloemfontein on Friday, 28 August.
The date was confirmed after both the defence teams for Bester and Magudumana indicated they were unprepared to move forward with proceedings.
Bester's team cites consultation problems
Bester's legal representatives informed the court that consulting with their client at eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, had proven difficult, preventing them from adequately preparing for trial. Bester has previously raised similar complaints about restricted access to his legal team while in detention.
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Magudumana's lawyers raised a different set of concerns. They pointed to her ongoing Constitutional Court challenge relating to her deportation, which remains unresolved, as a complicating factor. Her team also argued that her virtual appearance in court made it difficult to obtain urgent instructions from her during proceedings.
How Bester faked his own death
Bester faces charges connected to his escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022, one of South Africa's most audacious prison breaks. When a charred body was discovered in his cell following a fire, authorities concluded he had died. Investigators later established that Bester had staged his own death and fled the facility.
Magudumana and six other accused face charges of allegedly assisting him in orchestrating and executing the escape.
The case drew international attention when Bester and Magudumana were located and arrested in Tanzania in April 2023. Both were subsequently extradited to South Africa to face the charges against them.
With the trial now pencilled in for April 2027, nearly five years will have passed since the escape by the time proceedings formally begin.
3 Articles on Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana's court case
- Briefly News reported that the Pretoria High Court dismissed convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and his alleged accomplice Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s bid to block Netflix from releasing a three-part documentary Beauty and the Bester. The docuseries examines the circumstances of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester’s escape from prison.
- The Johannesburg High Court dismissed Thabo Bester’s application to be reclassified as an awaiting trial prisoner.
- The National Prosecuting Authority dropped the murder charge in the Thabo Bester escape case The charge related to the body of Katlego Mpholo, which was set alight in Bester's prison cell to conceal his escape.
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Source: Briefly News
